


Cinnamon Rolls, Vanilla Lattes, And Coffee Dates With Handsome Men

by severity_softly



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cats, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-07
Updated: 2016-06-07
Packaged: 2018-07-12 23:24:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7128212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/severity_softly/pseuds/severity_softly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Octavia Blake was on Jackson's patient list again, and she was armed with a question Jackson wasn't expecting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cinnamon Rolls, Vanilla Lattes, And Coffee Dates With Handsome Men

**Author's Note:**

> Modern AU. Written for [this anon request](http://severity-softly.tumblr.com/post/144830579070/not-sure-if-you-even-take-prompts-but-some-modern).

Octavia Blake was on Jackson's patient list again.

At the Urgent Care, he didn't get many repeat patients. There were a few patients that he recognized after repeated visits, but Octavia had stood out from her first visit--a stunning young woman with long dark hair... and a black eye and gashed lip.

Given she was a minor and unaccompanied, Jackson had been instantly concerned about Octavia's home life, but she'd very quickly put those fears to rest. Octavia lived with her brother, a cop. He was her legal guardian and had signed consent for her to be treated in his absence. She also did MMA competitively, and well, she'd taken a few blows in her most recent fight.

Today was maybe the fourth time Octavia had come in over the course of about eight months, and when Jackson pulled her file from her exam room door and let himself in, she grinned at him. "You should see the other guy," she said. It was the same thing she'd said the last two visits.

Jackson huffed, and gave her his now-standard reply, "You need a new hobby."

She just laughed and explained her injury to him. By the time they'd done x-rays, they determined Octavia didn't have any broken bones, but she had sprained her ankle pretty badly. He was wrapping it up and giving her instructions for resting, icing and elevating her ankle, when she said, "Um, I have sort of a strange question."

Jackson kept working. "There's probably nothing I haven't heard," he said.

"I, uh… I have a lot of gay friends, so I think I have a pretty good sense about these things,"  
she said, and Jackson's hands froze. "Do you date guys?"

Okay, so he _hadn't_ heard it all. At least not in this context. But she seemed cool with the idea, so Jackson went back to wrapping her ankle. "I do," he said. "Why?" he asked, sliding her shoe gingerly back on her foot.

She shifted to pull her phone out of her pocket and started tapping the screen. "I think my brother, Bellamy, would like you. I mean, if you're single."

This was weird. "I'm single," Jackson said, straightening up.

She turned her phone to face him. "My girlfriends tell me he's hot, but--" She made a gagging noise.

On the screen, a very handsome young man was smiling warmly at Jackson. He had loose, dark curls, freckles dotting his face, and very kind eyes. Jackson's mouth went dry. Octavia's girlfriends' assessment that Bellamy was hot were spot on, but Jackson didn't think he should say that.

"I mean, if you think he's an uggo, that's fine, but if you don't…"

Jackson frowned. "Anyone who would think he's an 'uggo' is clearly blind," he said finally, looking back at her.

She beamed at him. "Does that mean you're interested?"

Jackson thought about that for a moment. It was unethical to date a patient, but that wasn't what this was. This was… weird. Unexpected. But he didn't think he'd be violating any ethical codes letting a patient set him up.

He made a mental note to get Abby's opinion before he made any concrete plans to go out with Bellamy, and nodded slowly. "If he is," he offered cautiously.

She made an excited, high-pitched noise and hopped off the exam table, apparently having forgotten her ankle. "Ow!"

"Careful," he told her, steadying her shoulder.

She just grinned at him. "I'll have him call and leave you his cell number here," she said, then hobbled out of the exam room.

 

***

 

"O, I'm twenty-three, I can find my own dates," Bellamy grumbled, wondering when Octavia was going to get it through her thick skull that he didn't want to be set up.

"But you _don't_ ," she pointed out, propping her leg up on the sofa and balancing a baggie of ice on her ankle.

He leveled an annoyed glare at her and rephrased. "O, I'm twenty-three, I can choose not to date," he said, then added, " _You're_ not dating anyone." He hadn't missed the way she'd been looking at one of her MMA coaches, though. Lincoln seemed like a good guy, but he was too old for her, and Bellamy much prefered when Indra was around instead. 

Then again, it wouldn't be too long before Octavia was eighteen, and then Bellamy wouldn't have a say anymore. It sort of made him nauseous. 

"I don't _need_ anyone," Octavia countered.

"And I do?" he asked, frowning at her.

Octavia frowned back at him for a moment, then looked at the floor. "Yeah," she said, as if it should be obvious.

"O--"

"It's been _two years_ ," she said, cutting him off.

Bellamy blinked at her for a moment, feeling like he'd been hit over the head. He probably should have expected this tactic at some point, but he hadn't.

When he felt like he could form words again, he said, "This has nothing to do with mom."

She looked back at him. "It has everything to do with mom. When mom died, you drank too much for a while, and then pushed everyone but me away. And I'm not going to pretend anymore that I don't see that you're unhappy," she said.

Those words made Bellamy's chest ache. Octavia's gaze on his face was defiant. It seemed like yesterday she was in her early teens, socially awkward, and getting bullied at school. It wasn't until after their mother had died, and after Octavia had grieved, that she'd decided to learn to fight. In the span of two years, she went from being practically friendless to being a strong, confident young woman. And as much as Bellamy hated the black eyes and sprained ankles, he wouldn't trade Octavia's newfound sense of self to spare her a few scrapes and cuts.

Octavia had gone through losing their mother, and come out the other side stronger. Bellamy knew he couldn't say the same about himself, but his life wasn't bad. He had a good job, and a sister who loved him.

He must have been silent for too long because Octavia's gaze softened. "I'm leaving in a few months for college. I don't want to leave you like this."

Bellamy shook his head, looking away. "I'll get a cat," he muttered.

"If you think you can replace me with a cat…" she said, sounding amused. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and fiddled with it for a minute, then held it out to him. "He's handsome, and seems like a good guy, and he's a freaking _doctor_ , Bell. You could do worse."

Bellamy sighed and took the phone. On the screen, Octavia had pulled up the Urgent Care's website, and apparently this doctor's bio, which featured a professionally taken picture of Doctor Jackson. He was a very handsome young man who was smiling warmly at Bellamy. He had short, dark hair, full lips, and very kind eyes. Bellamy's mouth went dry. 

"So what, I go on a date and I'm fixed?" he said, barely registering the disbelief that he was entertaining the idea. He handed the phone back to Octavia. "That's not how it works."

"But it's a first step," Octavia said. "I'm not asking you to fall in love with him. I'm telling you that you should go have coffee with someone who isn't me or your co-workers."

Crap.

Bellamy sighed. "One condition," he said, and didn't miss how Octavia smiled broadly. "I go on one coffee date. Regardless of whether or not it leads to more with this doctor, you drop the whole trying to set me up routine."

Octavia made a high-pitched noise, and said, "I'll text you the Urgent Care's number." He didn't miss how she hadn't actually agreed to his condition.

 

***

 

Jackson changed out of his scrubs and doctor's coat in an empty exam room and tugged on what he'd brought to wear for his date with Bellamy. He pulled on his regular coat at the front door, and started to let himself out when Abby said, "Nope," behind him.

He turned to see her walking toward him. "Nope?" he asked. Maybe she needed him to stay, and he'd have to cancel on coffee. Jackson wasn't sure if he was relieved or disappointed by that idea.

When she reached him, she tugged at the knot of his tie. "You don't wear a tie on a coffee date," she said, pulling it off.

Oh.

Jackson huffed. "What would I do without you?"

"Literally fall apart?" she teased, which made him laugh faintly. "Take the jacket off once you're inside, too," she added. "Show off the shoulders."

Jackson blinked at her. "I'm telling Marcus you've been checking me out," he said after a moment, grinning.

That made her laugh. "I don't think he'll be too worried," she said, then shooed him out the door.

By the time Jackson arrived at the coffee shop he and Bellamy agreed on, he was a bundle of nerves. He hadn't done this in a long time.

"There's nothing to lose," he reminded himself. "Nothing's at stake. Except… maybe pride." He shook his head. "Nothing to lose," he repeated, and got out of the car.

Bellamy was just inside the door of the coffee shop. Jackson recognized him from his picture, but the picture had only shown his face, and Jackson was pleasantly surprised by Bellamy's build. He was maybe just barely shorter than Jackson by an inch or two, but his shoulders were broad. It occurred to Jackson that Bellamy probably didn't know what _he_ looked like.

"Bellamy?" he said.

Bellamy turned to look at Jackson, and Jackson felt a little thrill of anxiety at the once-over Bellamy gave him. It dissipated when Bellamy smiled.

"I'm Jackson," he offered.

"I recognize you from your picture," Bellamy said. Jackson frowned in confusion until Bellamy added, "From the Urgent Care website."

"Oh!" Jackson said. "I forget that's out there," he added, then smiled. "I hate that picture. It reminds me of high school yearbook pictures with the weird printed backdrops."

Bellamy laughed, a warm noise. "Yeah, it wasn't the most natural photo," he admitted. "Shall we?" he said, gesturing toward the line for coffee.

They got in line and ordered their drinks, and Jackson ordered a gooey looking cinnamon roll for himself. Bellamy paid for them in spite of Jackson's protest. "My sister ambushed you at your work," he said. "I owe you this one."

"Fine," Jackson huffed, but he couldn't help but to return Bellamy's smile as they found a table that had a couple chairs on one side, and a long padded bench on the other side that ran the length of the wall. He made a mental note to pay for their next date, if there was one.

Bellamy took the bench seat and shrugged out of his coat, and Jackson did his best not to stare at Bellamy's obviously well-muscled chest and arms. Jackson wondered absently if Bellamy picked the shirt he was wearing because it was _just_ fitted enough to show that off as he took off his own coat.

Bellamy tried to hide the appraising look he darted over Jackson's chest and shoulders, but Jackson saw it. He smiled at Bellamy over the rim of his mug as he took a sip of his vanilla latte. "So, your sister seems to be a firecracker," he said.

Bellamy laughed automatically, then immediately rolled his eyes and groaned. "You don't have to tell me," he said.

Jackson laughed too. "What possesses a girl like her to fight?" he asked.

Bellamy sighed. "She was… struggling in school. Not with grades, but with the social aspects of high school. I think after our mom died, it lit a fire under her ass to do something about her situation." He shrugged. "I'm not sure how she decided fighting was the way to do that, but… it worked."

Jackson nodded. "I imagine it's a confidence boost to know you could kick someone's ass," he said. 

Bellamy smiled. "You look like you could handle yourself."

That surprised a laugh out of Jackson, and his cheeks warmed at what may or may not have been an intentional flirt. "Oh, God. I can't imagine hitting someone. Generally speaking, I fix people. I don't break them." Jackson saw Bellamy grin, and he looked down at his plate, wishing he'd grabbed a knife and fork for his cinnamon roll.

"How'd you get into that, by the way? Fixing people?" Bellamy asked, as Jackson started to pick the roll apart with his fingers.

Jackson shrugged. "I was always into science. I was the kid practically salivating to dissect the frog in biology. But when I was young, my mom got very sick. And… she died. And even as a kid, I wished that I could have done something to save her." He gave Bellamy a sad smile. 

"I'm sorry," Bellamy said.

Jackson shook his head. "Don't be. It was a long time ago. There are still days it's hard--her birthday, certain holidays--but those are less frequent now." He had to lick the glaze off his fingertips to take another sip of his coffee. "And if she could see me now, she'd be proud, I think."

Bellamy nodded, his expression having gone a little wistful. Jackson remembered that Octavia told him their mother died just a couple of years ago, and he sighed. "It gets easier. Takes years and years, but it gets easier."

Bellamy nodded again and sipped his coffee. "It's easier now than it was last year," he said. "I'm heading in the right direction, I think."

"What happened to her? If you don't mind me asking," Jackson said, pulling another bite off his roll.

"Hmm," Bellamy said, frowning. "It's not really a good first date story."

"Oh. Sorry," Jackson said. Bellamy suddenly looked a little awkward, which made Jackson feel equally awkward. Somehow their conversation had gotten dark pretty quickly. Jackson bit his lip, then slid his plate halfway across the table. "Do you want some of this? I mean, I've been picking at it with my hands, but I wash them a thousand times a day, so…"

Thankfully, Bellamy laughed lightly. "You've been licking your fingers," he pointed out, but he pulled a piece off the cinnamon roll and stuffed it in his mouth.

Jackson smiled. "I thought you could use some sugar with that black coffee."

Bellamy snorted. "Excuse me if I'd rather not drink myself into a diabetic coma," he teased, through a mouthful of cinnamon roll.

Jackson grinned. God, Bellamy was gorgeous when he smiled like that. "Excuse me if I prefer not to deprive myself of the sweet things in life." His heart thudded against his chest, but he forced himself to finish his thought. "Like cinnamon rolls, and vanilla lattes, and going on coffee dates with handsome men."

Bellamy's eyebrows shot up, his smile faltering for a moment, but then he lowered his head, smiling. He looked almost shy, suddenly, and it was adorable, but Jackson hoped he hadn't really embarrassed the other man.

"I don't know about all the sugar," he said finally, looking up. Bellamy's eyes were very expressive, Jackson had noticed. Right now his gaze was warm, but also a little vulnerable. "I like the handsome men part, though."

Jackson couldn't have stopped himself from grinning if he'd tried. Where they really hitting it off this fast?

They lingered over their coffees and cinnamon roll, chatting more easily about their lives, which somehow led to them discovering neither of their fathers had been around as far as their memory could recall. Jackson's mother had refused to speak about his dad, and all his aunt would say was that his father was a "bad man". He tried not to think about it too much. From what he gathered from Bellamy, Bellamy's mother was just… generally not inclined to keep men around very long.

They toasted to deadbeat dads with their coffee mugs in irony.

"I lived with my aunt and uncle after my mom died," Jackson said. "She turned me into a cat person," he added, rolling his eyes and looking down to see if there was any stray fur on his clothes.

"I'm glad I was an adult when mom died. Octavia and I were able to keep the house, and I could be her legal guardian." Bellamy lifted his mug, then seemed to remember it was empty and put it back down. "You have cats?"

"Two," Jackson said, smiling. "My friend Nyko said that if I stayed single much longer, I would turn into a crazy cat lady. I hope you're not allergic," he added, and then his heart fluttered, because hoping Bellamy wasn't allergic to cats meant he already knew he wanted to see more of Bellamy. Saying it out loud meant now Bellamy knew that too.

Bellamy held Jackson's gaze for a moment, a slow smile spreading over his face. "I'm not allergic," he said softly.

Jackson felt a little breathless suddenly. "Good," he said, and in spite of feeling slightly lightheaded, he made himself move closer to Bellamy. He sat on the bench seat next to him, close enough to feel the warmth of his body, but not touching him. "Want to see them?" he asked. 

It was a dumb excuse to put himself closer to Bellamy physically. Bellamy probably didn't want to see pictures of Jackson's cats, but Bellamy grinned and said, "Sure!" When Jackson got his pictures open, Bellamy draped his arm over the back of the bench seat behind Jackson and leaned in enough that they were barely touching.

"That's Zan," Jackson said pointing to one of them. "And Jayna." He waited a moment to see if Bellamy got the reference, then said, "I named them after the Wonder Twins."

Bellamy frowned for a minute, then said, "Those were the superheroes where the guy would turn himself into a puddle and the girl would become a chipmunk, and they'd fight crime?"

Jackson burst out laughing. "Yeah. Yeah, that's exactly them. My favorite real one is when Zan becomes an ice unicycle and Jayna becomes an octopus, and she, as an octopus, rides the ice unicycle. You can find it on YouTube."

Bellamy started to laugh too. "God, that's ridiculous," he said. "Like, in what situation is that needed?"

Jackson shook with laughter. "I don't remember, and I hope I never do," he said, looking over at Bellamy, grinning. 

Jackson suddenly felt like the wind was knocked out of him at how close their faces were, and he could tell Bellamy felt it too. They held each other's gazes for a moment, then Bellamy's eyes flicked down to Jackson's lips. Jackson licked them without thinking, momentarily drawn to kiss Bellamy, but then he huffed and turned his head away.

This wasn't supposed to happen on a _coffee date_. Coffee dates were supposed to be casual, and maybe end with a plan to meet up again. This sort of chemistry he was feeling with Bellamy seemed more than casual and almost instant.

Jackson sort of regretted turning away, since Bellamy pulled back, drawing his arm back from where it had rested on the back of the bench seat. "Are you ready to go?" he asked.

Jackson cleared his throat. "We should probably give up the table, since we're done," he said. He really didn't want to end the date. If he were honest, he wanted to find a private place to make out with Bellamy a little, if just to see if their chemistry extended beyond conversation.

Sure. That was why.

They both tugged their jackets back on and cleared their table, dropping the plate and both their mugs off at the designated spot. When they got outside, Jackson offered to walk Bellamy to his car.

"I had a good time," he said, trying to ignore his nerves. He thought _maybe_ he could get back to the moment he'd lost when he turned his head inside the cafe. "I'd like to see you again, if you want."

Bellamy stopped next to the driver's door of an older model SUV. He looked a little awkward, but he was smiling. "Yeah," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Are you free Friday?"

Jackson smiled automatically. It was Tuesday. Bellamy wanted to see him again before the week was over. "The Urgent Care closes at seven, and I'm free after that, barring any emergencies." He took a step closer to Bellamy. 

"Sounds good," Bellamy breathed, his eyes on Jackson's.

Jackson's heart felt like it might beat out of his chest. "I'm not sure this is supposed to happen on a coffee date," he murmured, inching closer to gauge Bellamy's reaction.

"I've forgotten how to do all this, honestly, so… no judgements," Bellamy said, sounding breathless. Then Bellamy lifted his head slightly to brush his lips to Jackson's.

Jackson sucked in a breath, but then parted his lips a little. There was no tongue, but Bellamy parted his lips too. Jackson settled his hands on Bellamy's shoulders and shivered when Bellamy's hands rested at his waist. They exchanged a few soft kisses that left Jackson tingling for more. Oh, they had physical chemistry too, for sure.

Jackson sucked in another breath and forced himself to pull away before his body asked for more. Bellamy's face was flushed, and Jackson bit his tongue so he didn't comment on how sweet--and _sexy_ \--the expression on his face was.

"I'll see you Friday," he said instead, and made himself walk away.

 

***

 

It didn't matter. At least it didn't matter much, anyway, the way Octavia had gloated about finding someone for Bellamy that Bellamy actually liked. Someone who was ridiculously handsome and sweet. Someone who named his cats after obscure superheroes. Someone who understood growing up without a father and how losing a mother felt. Someone who, in spite of being in healthcare, was apparently addicted to sweets.

What mattered right now was the taste of tiramisu on Jackson's tongue.

Their date on Friday had gone well, better than even their coffee date, and they'd wound up in Jackson's small apartment, on Jackson's small couch, kissing. Bellamy was only vaguely aware of the purring of one of Jackson's cats--Zan, he thought--on the back of the couch.

Bellamy's hands roamed the lean muscle of Jackson's arms and chest through his t-shirt, while Jackson's hand slid up the outside of Bellamy's thigh to his hip as their kisses grew hungrier. They probably shouldn't sleep together. Not on their second date, even if Bellamy's body was telling him otherwise. He hadn't even bothered to make sure he had condoms.

Jackson's other hand slid into Bellamy's hair, and he made a hungry noise that sent a wave of hunger through Bellamy too. Then something heavy landed in Bellamy's lap. They both sucked in a sharp, surprised breath and looked down.

"Jayna," Jackson said, his voice pitching almost into baby talk as he reached down to scratch Jayna's head. "Not everything is about you, pretty girl."

Bellamy laughed and started to pet the cat too. "We should probably stop anyway," he said.

Jackson grinned, then kissed Bellamy softly. "Yeah, probably. But that was nice."

Bellamy hummed a pleased noise and kissed Jackson again. "More than nice."

"What should we do now?" Jackson murmured, his lips still brushing Bellamy's.

Bellamy smiled. "Anything you want."


End file.
